What additional benefits come with a marriage-based visa extension in Thailand?

Jul 7, 2024
4 months ago
Dimitris ************
ORIGINAL POSTER
What other benefits you get when having extension of visa based on marriage? Work permits or anything else beyond staying for a year?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
A marriage-based visa extension in Thailand allows you to apply for a work permit and requires only 400,000 THB in the bank, compared to 800,000 THB for retirement extensions. However, it involves more paperwork for yearly renewals compared to retirement visas. Holders may also benefit from a driver's license and have access to potential tax benefits and discounted health insurance through their Thai spouse's employer.
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Steven ***************
If your thai wife has a tax paying job, she gets some small tax benefits being married. Also a lot of large thai companies offer free or discount health insurance to their staffs spouses, regardless of nationality. I get it, and a friend of mine gets free health care due to his thai wife having a govt job.
Jack ****************
Driver licence and you can use the other queue at the airport I think
Brandon ************
@Jack ***************
you can get a driver's licence on any visa. With a marriage extension (or any other long term stay) you can renew for 5 years instead of 2.

You can only use the other line at the airport if you're traveling with your wife. You're not automatically entitled to using it.
Jack ****************
@Brandon ***********
thank you for the second part- I was going to make a post to check on that for clarity.
Steven ***************
@Jack ***************
. I've used other queue 3 times without wife present with no issues.
Jack ****************
@Steven **************
we didn't know and used to separate. So maybe I'll give it a try... What I don't want is to do something wrong and just count on them being too polite to tell me. Hmmm...
Colin *********
What type of answers do you expect? You're opening yourself up to a lot of smart*ss comments like 'maybe a good cook', or 'a comfy mattress to bounce up and down on' 😜
Stuart *********
With an extension based on marriage you can indeed apply for a work permit. You also only need 400k in the bank as opposed to 800k for a retirement extension.

Downside is there quite a bit more paperwork for each yearly extension versus a retirement one, and you’ll get a 30 day under consideration stamp which means two trips to immigration to get the full year stamp, but some offices do that for retirement one too.
Mark ******
@Stuart ********
would you still need the 400k if you are working (with a work permit), and earning
*****
k per month?
Stuart *********
@Mark *****
There are options for 40k per month for wages earned in Thailand but you’d need to check with your actual office as to their requirements.
Dimitris ************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Max *************
@Dimitris ***********
Either ฿400k in a thai bank account or ฿40k monthly deposits.
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